UNITED NATIONS, December 25. /ITAR-TASS/. The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorized the dispatch of additional peacekeepers to South Sudan stricken by fierce inter-ethnic clashes.

A UNSC resolution, which raises the strength ceiling of the peacekeeping contingent of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) up to 12,500, received a unanimous support among the UNSC's 15 member-countries.

The Resolution resolves that, considering the emergency nature of the situation that has taken shape, the UNMISS will include a military component at a strength of up to 12,500 servicemen of all ranks and a police component, including relevant units up to 1,323-strong.

The forces are to be transferred from other UN missions in the region, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, as well as Darfur (district in Sudan's west), and Abyei (a disputed territory at the Sudan - South Sudan border).

They are also expected to provide additional resources in assistance to the UN peacekeepers in South Sudan, including six helicopters, with three of them combat ones, and military transportation planes.

The reinforcement of the UNMISS is a temporary measure. The additional forces are to be withdrawn from the country as soon as the situation there improves.

The UNMISS was instituted in 2011, following the gaining of independence by Southern Sudan. As of November 2013, UNMISS had available about 6,800 servicemen, among them three peacekeepers and three experts from the Russian Federation. The police component includes 14 Russian policemen, among them one woman officer.

The UN forces are empowered to protect civilians. This means the use of force in the event of necessity. According to the latest data, thousands of people died in South Sudan as a result of violence.